


Blinders Off

by Guardian_of_Hope



Series: The 'Not Canon' Samurai Stories [6]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Past Abuse, Pre-Slash, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-13
Updated: 2011-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-26 00:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/276759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Antonio's past comes back to haunt him. Maybe in a good way. AU, Brotherhood 'Verse. Samurai, but cameo of other seasons.</p><p>Notes: Background slash of Hunter/Dustin (since this is post Summer's Boys Time Travel crossover) and pre-slash for Jayden/Antonio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Golden Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for mentions and allusions to past child abuse
> 
> A/N: This is part of my 'I refuse to accept cannon Samurai' 'verse. It is now officially crossed with The Rainbow Brotherhood verse and will include in further chapters stuff about each of them having one on one with other Rangers of their color. Also a sequel to Golden Moment and screws around with the cannon of episode 'The Tengen Gate', spelling probably not accurate. Mrs. Johannasson is Kim.

It all started with an overheard phone call. Antonio had to take a break from programming the black box; or rather, Mentor Ji had forced him to take a break. He took a seat in the back garden and dialed a familiar number. "Bradley household, this is Tori."

Antonio grinned, "Sensei Bradley, its Antonio."

"Tony," Tori said, "seriously, you don't have to call me Sensei any more. You graduated."

"But you are a Master," Antonio replied, "and my teacher."

"How are you?" Tori said with a sigh, clearly not ready to run through that old battle.

"I'm good," Antonio replied, "I'm a little tired right now, but isn't that how it works?"

"What happened?" Tori asked.

Antonio hesitated for a moment, before he sighed, "Jayden's been kidnapped by a Nighloks, the rest of my team is down and out with injuries and I have to program symbol power into a device that no one has ever been able to complete."

"That's terrible," Tori said, she hesitated and Antonio could hear someone, probably Blake, in the background. "No," she said, clearly responding, "I will not ask him when he's going to get his stuff."

Antonio bit his lip, because Tori and Blake had promised to keep his stuff, but with their third kid on the way, they could probably use the space. "I'm looking for a place," he told Tori, "but every time I start looking, we get another attack."

"Don't feel guilty," Tori told him, "Blake's just grumbling about his work space again."

"I'll find a place soon," Antonio said, "if it's really a problem, I'll rent a storage shed up here and ship it up."

"You don't have to," Tori said.

"It's no problem," Antonio replied, "with the trust fund, I can afford it. Just let me know if you need me to."

"I'm not saying it won't help," Tori hedged.

"It's done," Antonio said firmly, "as soon as I've finished the box, I'll get the storage space."

"Ok," Tori said, "I'll get a hold of Hunter and Dustin to help us bring it up there."

"You really don't have to do that," Antonio said.

"How else are we going to meet everybody?" Tori said teasingly.

"I," Antonio hesitated, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why?" Tori asked.

Antonio dropped his head, "The Power, it's different for them then it is for me. I don't think they realize that yet."

"What do you mean?" Tori asked.

"It's just, Tori, I broke my arm in battle. By the time we finished the debriefing, it wasn't even bruised. Kevin and the others were unconscious and they're still bruised. Mike has broken ribs and they haven't even begun to heal. It's almost like those, those _SPD_ morphers I've heard about. Ranger abilities but not all the extras."

"That's not possible," Tori said.

"I know," Antonio replied, "but that's what I think of ever time one of them gets bandaged. It's not like their colors don't match either. Jayden's a red, mission oriented, but still a red. Kevin's got that logical, analytical blue thing going. Not sure, on the genius part, but he's definitely the logical one. Emily's a healer, in fact, she reminds me of Ashley in that she's got a little bit of everything. Mia's a lot like Mrs. Johannason, and a little like Rose. She's a real sweet heart. Then there's Mike, and don't tell Sensei Cam this, but half the reason I'd rather pay to ship is that I shudder to think what would happen if the greens got their hands on Mike."

"It can't be that bad," Tori said with a laugh.

"It will be," Antonio replied, "That one needs little to no encouragement and the greens? They'll _help_ him get worse."

"But at the same time, if you're really concerned about their powers," Tori trailed off.

"Jayden was _poisoned,"_ Antonio said, "of course I'm worried about their powers."

"Ok," Tori said, "you need to call Cam. You know he doesn't go in for all that without being egged on. If there are problems he'd be the one to fix them."

"I will," Antonio said, he looked down. "I'm doing my check ins to get away from that stupid black box."

"Take care," Tori said, "and call more often. You have friends here, Tony, don't forget that."

"Only if you forget _Tony,"_ Antonio replied. "Bye Tori."

"Bye Antonio," Tori said.

Antonio hung up his phone and stared down at it with a fond smile. It was nice to have real friends.

"Did you just spill our secrets to someone?"

Antonio jerked up and spun, finding Kevin standing behind him, staring. "Kevin," he said, "what are you doing up, you shouldn't be up yet."

"I'm fine," Kevin said. His knuckles were white as he clung to the door frame. "Who were you talking to?"

"A friend," Antonio replied, "just a friend." He thought for a moment before choosing his path. "She and her husband are storing some stuff for me and I was trying to arrange for them to ship it here. They just found out she's pregnant again and Blake wants his work shop back anyways."

"You were talking about us as Rangers, Antonio," Kevin said.

"Tori can be trusted," Antonio said, he glanced down, "I promise. None of them are going to go spreading your identity."

" _Them?"_ Kevin said, he stepped out the door, "how many people know about us, Tony?"

"People who can be trusted," Antonio said, "people who would never tell an outsider. People who could help us if we asked."

"Help us?" Kevin repeated, "Antonio, you can just randomly tell people about us."

"They're _Power Rangers,"_ Antonio said, and shut his mouth. For good measure, he added his hand, because he wasn't supposed to tell. Shane was going to kill him. _Jason_ was going to kill him. Cam was going to reprogram his morpher. If he whimpered, he'd deny it.

"They're Power Rangers," Kevin repeated incredulously, "you know Power Rangers?" The gap sensor went off and Antonio shook his head, "This isn't over yet, Antonio. You have a lot of explaining to do."

Antonio sighed, because now the cat was out of the bag indeed. He hurried inside with the others because he was a Ranger and he had a duty. _Sorry Cam,_ he thought, _I'll call you later._

As it turned out, he didn't have to call Cam. Because Cam called him as they were heading back to the compound. "Hello," Antonio said, conscious of everyone staring at him in surprise.

"I heard you were incapable of dialing my number," Cam said.

"Hi Cam," Antonio said, "no, I'm not incapable. We've been busy."

"Busy," Cam replied, "I know what busy is, Tony."

"What is with you guys and calling me that?" Antonio asked.

"Probably because we've known you, oh, all your life," Cam replied. "You are always going to be Tony to us, kid."

"That's probably even worse," Antonio muttered. "I'm glad you called though, I have a friend I'd love to have you talk to." He glanced at Kevin, who was frowning at him. "Although I think friend might be a stretch at the moment. But, listen, Tori already said she was going to have Hunter and Dustin help move my stuff. Why not make it a team thing and bring," he hesitated, "not Vida, please."

"Not Vida, huh, can I ask why?"

"I think she still wants to kill me," Antonio said, staring out the window. "Bring Rose. Rose still likes me and Mac's out of the country right now so she's probably bored enough to take some time off."

"And Mac won't kill you for borrowing his girlfriend either," Cam said with a laugh.

"That's the bonus." Antonio said as the SUV came to a stop. He scrambled out of the car and walked away, allowing Mike and Kevin to help Jayden into the house. "God, Cam, this isn't going well."

"What happened?" Cam asked.

"Kevin heard me talking to Sensei Tori," Antonio replied, "about everything. He doesn't like me anyways."

"You do have a knack or that, Tony," Cam said.

"He told me that I was a computer nerd, not a Samurai," Antonio admitted after a moment.

Cam hissed, "I'm definitely coming up there. I'd love to hear him say that to my face."

"I'm looking forward to it," Antonio replied, "it was the only thing that helped me keep my temper when he said that." He glanced at the house and saw Kevin approaching. "I have to go, Cam. I'll call you later."

"You do that," Cam replied. "I want to know what's going on."

Just for Kevin, he laughed, "I'll send you an email tomorrow. There's a café with free wifi in town."

"You do that," Cam said.

Antonio hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket, "I used a cell phone for my morpher," he said, not looking at Kevin, "to combine my communicator and morpher in one. It has the added bonus of free long distance."

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Kevin said.

"Maybe I do," Antonio replied. His phone vibrated and he checked it, a text from Shane. _Go ahead and tell them everything, Tony. We'll deal with the fall out later._ "Maybe I do."

They walked into the house and Kevin rounded everybody up, including Mentor Ji. Antonio faced the wall, not looking at them. Then Jayden said, "What's going on Kevin?"

"Ask Antonio," Kevin replied in a hard voice.

Antonio sighed, but he didn't turn around, "Antonio?" Jayden asked.

Antonio turned slowly and looked at each of them in turn, "I haven't been honest with you." He said finally. "I didn't tell you everything when I came here."

"What do you mean?" Jayden said.

"Well, some of it I didn't expect you to actually believe," he shook his head, "my teachers, they cry over your willful blindness." Seeing the confusion on all their faces he sighed, "I didn't learn all this on my own, Jay. I had help."

"What kind of help?" Mentor Ji said.

"My dad moved us to Angel Grove and I started taking lessons at the local youth center. There were some teenagers who did community karate classes there. My instructors there, well, one of them recommended me to a special academy when I was old enough. The Wind Ninja Academy." Antonio sighed, "I didn't know at first, but Sensei Park was a Wind Ninja and he saw my potential and sent me. This was after the Ninja Storm Rangers dealt with Lothor, so I trained with the Ninja Storm Rangers." He glanced at the team and then stared at the wall beyond it, "My first training was as a Water Ninja, because my ninja element is water. My second year I was able to transfer to a different discipline. You see, one of the special teachers at the academy was the Green Samurai Ranger, and he agreed to teach me to be a Samurai."

"Wait," Mike said.

"Mike, you are the second Green Samurai Ranger. Cam was the first. His mother Miko was from a different house, but she bequeathed an amulet to Cam that not only made him the Green Samurai Ranger, but also imported to him the legacies of their family. Cam, in turn, taught me. My third year there, I introduced them to Octo, and told them about Jayden and my promise to go back. Cam helped me make it happen. We built the morpher together, and Shane helped me learn my color, Gold, and Jason taught me about being a Gold Ranger and we did everything we could. I don't have the history you guys do, the generations to back my abilities that help you. That's why my phone is programmed the way it is. I'm learning to do things the traditional way, with the drawn symbols, but I, we, you didn't have the time it would have taken for me to learn it all the long way. I would have been in Ninja Ops, painting symbols, instead of fixing the black box or saving Jayden."

"So you're really a _ninja,_ " Kevin began.

"No," Antonio said, "I'm not. I never finished my training as a ninja. I'm a Samurai. I'm just trained differently. I was trained to be a Samurai as well as a Ranger, which is different from being just a Samurai. You are a Samurai first and a Ranger second, Kevin. I'm a Ranger first and a Samurai second." He looked at each of them for a long moment, "You guys are my team. My morpher was designed to be compatible with Octo, who is a part of your power structure. My Power is geared to Master Xandred. If you can't accept that, then I'll leave. Octo and Claw are free to stay or go as they chose, but I'll go. I'll stay out of it. I'm sure Sensei Cam would love a secondary teacher or the Thunders might."

Antonio was afraid to look at his team, he turned around and walked out, heading for the door before any of them could say anything. "Antonio," Jayden said.

Antonio hesitated, but he didn't look, "This is a team decision, Jayden. I never questioned my loyalty to you, but if everyone else doesn't trust me, it isn't going to work." It hurt, Antonio thought, surprised at how much it hurt to walk away from the compound. Kevin had never trusted him, he would probably rejoice that he finally could get rid of him.

"Hey Tony."

Antonio spun, "Jason?" He asked, stunned.

His first karate teacher smiled as he slid off his truck bed. "You haven't been calling anyone. I came up to check on you."

"Oh," Antonio said, "I, uh," he glanced at the walls of the compound, "I was just, telling them everything."

"How did they take it?" Jason asked, resting his hand on Antonio's shoulder.

"I left so they could talk about it," Antonio replied. "I don't think they're happy with me though."

"Maybe," Jason said, "maybe not. I'm starving, where can I get something to eat around here?"

"I don't know," Antonio said, "I haven't exactly had much of a chance to look around."

"You've been living off the land again," Jason said. "Antonio, you shouldn't do that."

"I prefer it," Antonio muttered, not quite able to meet his mentor's eyes.

"Because of your dad? Tony, seriously, just because your dad was a waste of oxygen doesn't mean you can't use the trust to live off." Antonio flinched slightly, and Jason pushed his chin up and caught his eyes, "What your dad did was wrong, Tony. You did nothing to deserve that. Leaving you the trust instead of your dad was the only thing your grandfather could do for you. Don't think of it as your dad's money, it's yours."

Antonio stepped back, "I was planning to use it, Jason."

"When?" Jason asked.

"When I found a place," Antonio replied, "it's just, we've been busy." Before Jason could say anything else, the gate to the compound squeaked open.

"Antonio?" Jayden called as he stepped out, followed by the other Samurais.

"Excuse me," Antonio said to Jason with a slight bow. He then jogged over to the team, "What's up?" He asked.

"We want you on the team," Kevin said.

"Don't go," Mia added.

"We have questions," Mike added.

"We'd like to meet the other Rangers to," Emily said.

"But you're one of us," Jayden said, "and we aren't letting you go that easy."

Antonio looked at each of them, and behind him, he heard Jason cough. The older Ranger was probably laughing at them. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"You're staying," Kevin said. "Even if we have to tie you up to keep you here."

He couldn't help it, he tilted his head, spread his arms out and said, "Now this, is a golden moment." He turned and gestured, "Jason, come here please."

"Antonio," Jayden said quietly.

"It's ok," Antonio said, "trust me." He grinned, "I take it you heard," he said to Jason.

"I never doubted," Jason replied.

"Then, Jason, I would like you to meet the Samurai Rangers," Antonio said with flourish, "Jayden is Red, Kevin is Blue, Mia is Pink, Emily is Yellow and Mike is Green." Antonio turned to his stunned team, "Everyone, this is Jason Lee Scott, Senior Earthian Red Ranger and temporary Gold Zeo Ranger."

"It's nice to meet you," Jason said in the silence that followed. "Antonio is lousy at phone calls so I'm sure I haven't heard half as much about you as I'd like."

"It's an honor to meet you," Jayden managed finally. "Come in, would you like something to eat. You can meet Ji, our mentor."

Jason laughed and clapped Jayden's shoulder, "How about I take all of you out to eat instead? I'm half expecting some other people to show up to check on Tony."

"I already talked to Tori," Antonio protested, "and don't call me Tony."

"I was thinking about Cam, actually," Jason said. "Considering he called to ask me if I was here yet."

"Oh God," Antonio muttered, "um Kevin, hide."

"Why?" Kevin asked.

"Too late," a voice behind them announced.

Antonio turned slowly to find all of the Wind Rangers and Cam standing in the middle of the street. As he watched, the two Thunder Rangers arrived as well. "Jason," Shane said with a slight nod.

"Shane," Jason said as he stepped to one side, "I take it you want this one?"

"No," Shane said, "but Cam does."

"Sensei," Antonio said, "it's a misunderstanding, please." He didn't really expect anything to happen, but he felt he had to say something.

"No," Cam said, stepping forward. His calm measured stride and polite tone really didn't make Antonio feel any better. "I think this is something that needs to be done." He stopped in front of Kevin and looked at him for a long moment. "Kevin, Blue Samurai Ranger, I presume," he said finally.

"Yes?" Kevin said nervously, but he didn't move.

"My name is Cameron Watanabe," Cam said, "and while the Watanabe family has been associated with the Wind Ninja Academy specifically and the ninja traditions in general for generations, my mother was from a traditional Samurai family. I served as the Green Samurai Ranger in my time and continue tradition in teaching other Samurai." He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly, "I also have a Ph.D. in computer engineering and while I could name my other degrees all it boils down to is I specialize in robotics and nanotechnology. I work for the government on projects that most of the American population will never hear about. During the period we were active, I was responsible for repairing the Zords our team used. Two years ago, I worked with other Rangers to reconnect our morphers to the morphing grid. I've been on government watch lists since I was twelve because of my skill with a computer. I am, in your words, a computer nerd. I am also a Samurai. If you want to challenge that statement, I'd be happy to provide ample demonstration."

Kevin looked _terrified,_ and Antonio really wished he had a camera. "That won't be necessary," Kevin said after a moment.

"Good," Cam said, "because as much as Tony likes to shrug it off, he's _better_ than I am with Ranger tech. In fact, if he had just been a ninja, or a samurai student, I would have sponsored him to Eltare for Ranger tech training. He's also the best Samurai student I've ever had. My grandfather, my mother's father, even spent six months teaching him specific Samurai techniques. He's never made that offer to any of my students." Cam stepped back, "You are all lucky to have Tony. He could have had the world, but he's loyal to Jayden."

"He's a Gold," Jason said bluntly, "through and through."

"And I'm not better at Ranger tech," Antonio added, "and for the millionth time, _don't call me Tony."_

"Why not?" Mike asked.

"My dad called me Tony," Antonio muttered.

Shane stepped closer, "I'm Shane Clark, I'm Earth's senior Red Ranger. Antonio, are you ok?"

"Mostly in one piece," Antonio replied, "but the bruises will be gone soon enough." He gestured to Jayden, "Jayden's Samurai Red. I know you've wanted to talk with him."

"Or," Hunter said in an exceptionally dry tone, "you know _talk_ with him. I'm Hunter, Crimson Thunder."

"Not right now," Antonio said helplessly, "he's not well yet." Jason coughed something, it sounded like 'gold', but Antonio ignored him. "Tori, Blake, that's Kevin. Kevin, Tori and Blake are the Blue Wind and Navy Thunder Rangers. Emily, that's Dustin, he was the Wind Yellow. Mia, I'm sorry, I was hoping we could get a Pink in on this 'meet the Seniors' event but apparently not."

"That's ok," Mia said, looking a little stunned at the idea of meeting so many Rangers at once.

"And Cam, that's Mike, our green ranger. Please, don't encourage him." Antonio finished.

"Don't worry," Cam said, pushing his glasses up his nose as he studied Mike, "I'm sure he doesn't need any encouragement at all." Mike gulped and flushed, Antion decided to ignore whatever else Cam told Mike. At least it was Cam and not, say, Doctor Oliver.

"It might be best if all of you come in," Mentor Ji announced from the gate. "I do not put it past Master Xandred to have spies in the area."

"Right," Jason said, "you must be Mentor Ji. I want to talk to you about taking Antonio's morpher." Antonio flushed, he'd forgotten _that_ email. It had been rather wordy, but still, it was his _morpher._

They all walked inside the compound and Mia dropped into step beside him, "Are you ok?" She asked quietly.

"I'm fine," Antonio said. "I know my friends are overwhelming, and I'm sorry that Rose or Vida or Mrs. Johannason or one of the others couldn't be here. I really wanted to make that happened."

"It's ok, Antonio," Mia replied. "I'm not upset." She glanced ahead as Emily laughed, "Maybe a little jealous, but not upset. Do you know a lot of Rangers?"

"I've met a lot of them," Antonio replied, he shrugged, "I was the first chance Earth's Rangers had to train a Ranger so everyone had something to say. Mostly they don't get to know Rangers until after they're already Rangers. I was the novelty, an _actual_ Ranger-elect."

"Seems like a lot of pressure too," Mia said, "with all of them watching you."

Antonio shrugged, "It's not that bad. Jason is the only other Gold, so it's not like I have sixteen Rangers in my color judging my every move. Jason's more concerned with the Reds anyways, given he's Elder Red and only honorary Gold."

"Come on you two," Jason called, "We have stories to tell."

"That is not promising." Antonio muttered. Mia laughed.


	2. Next Came The Stories

As Antonio had feared, the night did feature embarrassing stories. He and Mia arrived for one of the worst, "And then, the courtyard lights came back on," Tori said, "Tony was standing in the middle of the courtyard, stark naked." Tori and

"I was not naked," Antonio protested over the laughter, "you make that story sound worse than it is."

"You were naked, Tony," Shane said, "I was there for that."

"I was not," Antonio said, "and don't call me Tony."

"Tony," Cam said pointedly, "every student there knows you have a birthmark on your left cheek. How can you protest you weren't naked?"

"I was wearing a shirt," Antonio muttered.

"It was mesh, you could see his nipples," Tori said looking at the rest of the room, "It didn't hide anything."

More laughter and Antonio sighed, because he knew he couldn't really say anything. Instead, he turned to Jason, "Would you help me drag some chairs in here, please?"

Jayden frowned, "I can help."

"No," Antonio replied, "You can sit down, because in case you've forgotten, you were poisoned by Octoroo and then that insane human Nighlok kept you prisoner and I don't know what he was on, but that battle crap was just freaky." He turned to give his other teammates a glare as well, "And none of you should be out of the infirmary and that was before you decided you had to fight the Nighlok without your symbol powers."

"You were in those fights too," Kevin pointed out, lifting his chin stubbornly.

"Yeah, and by the time I get up tomorrow, I'll be healed. You won't." Antonio replied and winced. This was not how he planned to bring up their Power issues, even if he'd been planning to do it.

"Ok," Jason said, catching everyone's attention, even, Antonio noted, Mentor Ji turning to the Red Ranger. "Antonio, show me where these chairs are. Hunter, Blake, would you give us a hand?"

"Sure," the brothers said in unison.

Antonio showed them to the dining room, and then watched as everyone got situated. Mentor Ji had placed his chair at one end of the table with Tori, in a chair, Blake, Mia and Emily on futons with Jayden and Jason in chairs on the far end of that side. The other side had Mike in a chair, Cam choosing to sit on the floor for some reason, Hunter and Dustin on futons, Kevin in the finale chair and Antonio on the other futon. "Ok," Jason said, "I am going to invoke Ranger Meeting Rule 4. This states that each person may ask one person at the meeting a question. The person in question may then refuse to answer, or answer, but no additional questions may be asked and no other person can answer the question. We start with me as the highest rank, and then go around the circle, meaning Jayden will go next. Does that sound fair?"

Antonio nodded along with the older Rangers and Jayden frowned at him, but nodded when Jason cleared his throat. Mike, Emily, Mia and Kevin were quick to follow his lead. "Great," Jason said, "Mentor Ji," he looked down the table, "by what authority did you attempt the confiscation of Antonio's morpher?

"As Jayden's guardian and teacher," Mentor Ji replied, "I also assumed a mentor role for the entire team. It is a tradition of the House. I felt Antonio would be too reckless and endanger the team."

Jason held up his hand, "If you say anymore," he said, in a tone that made Antonio flinch back, "I'm just going to get even angrier." He looked down the table with the kind of look Antonio imagined he'd turned on the villains of his day, Goldar, Lord Zedd, and Rita; it was the look of a man who had grown up a warrior, and a leader. Out of the corner of his eye, Antonio noticed Kevin looking at him in concern and straightened up, "Jayden, your turn."

"Ok," Jayden said, he looked at Antonio, "Why didn't you tell us the truth?"

Antonio swallowed, but lifted his chin and squared his shoulders as he mentally picked out the formal tone and words, "The deception was made at the behest of higher ranking Rangers, citing the length of time since our last meeting, relative youth and the fact that there were strangers present in the form of additional Rangers. An evaluation of the team was needed, and it was felt that if the team knew of my connections to veteran Rangers and prior training from the beginning any evaluation I made would be biased to that fact. The choice of deception was made to me even after I stated numerous objects. I selected half-truths and fabrications that I believed would inspire inquiries from the team. That the deception was never questioned and ostentatiously accepted led to further orders that more time would be needed for a different solution. As the rate of attacks has seen increase since that time, I have been unable to contact anyone to see when the deception could be lifted. I did not want to deceive anyone."

"Emily," Jason said, "your question."

"Oh," Emily said, she blinked, "I, um," she looked at Mia, then back around the table, "Dustin, right?"

"That's me," Dustin said, lifting his hand.

"Ok, Dustin," Emily said, "I never thought about it, but I thought Yellow Rangers were girls? My family's served Jayden's family for generations and when a Ranger team was formed we sent our daughters to fight."

Dustin waved his hand, "I don't know about Samurai traditions and whatnot, but from a Ranger point of view, gender means nothing." He tilted his head a little, "The color a Ranger bares is cognizant with their particular mindset. It's like a silent brand declaring our strengths. Yellow Rangers are the team's healer; Body, Mind and Soul. Most Yellows have a talent to a single type of healing, but there are some who are good at all types of healing. Our Elder, Doctor Kwan-Scott," he nodded briefly to Jason, "is a mind healer, as well as a psychiatrist. I personally am a spirit healer, as is my female counterpoint, Kira. The only other Earthian male yellow, Chip, is a body healer and a nurse." He twisted slightly to pin first Kevin and then Mike with looks, "He's a pediatric oncology nurse to be exact, meaning he spends his days working with kids who have and are often dying from cancer." He turned back to Emily, "Earth tends towards Lady Yellows, but in a general sense, I've found that it's pretty much equal on the galactic level. Remind me before I leave, I want to give you some email addresses so you can talk to the others."

"Good," Jason nodded, "Mia?"

"Um, Tori," Mia said, turning to look at the Blue Ranger.

"Yes Mia?" Tori asked as Blake leaned back so the pair could see each other.

"Are you the only girl on your team?" Mia asked.

Tori chuckled, "Yes, I was the lone girl. Not only was I fighting Lothor, but I had to deal with all the boys while I was at it. There wasn't a female Ranger tech or conspirator for me to hang out with."

"Blake," Jason said before Mia could say anything else.

"Mine," Blake said with a slight smirk, "is for Kevin."

"Ok," Kevin said uncertainly, "what do you want to know?"

"Were you an asshole towards Antonio because you were threatened by his history with Jayden, or are you just an asshole to strangers in general?" Blake said in the mendaciously cheerful tone Antonio had only heard the one time he'd dropped by Blake's school with something from Tori and the man had been lecturing a group of bullies before sending them in to see the principal.

Kevin was floored by Blake's question. He looked around the room, perhaps looking for a way out. Antonio stared at his hands, flicking glances up at the rest of the room carefully. Jason looked implacable, Mia and Emily were stunned, Tori had a sort of vindictive glee in her eyes, Ji was startled, and when Antonio shifted his seat, he saw that Hunter and Dustin were staring intently at Kevin. "Hey," Jayden began.

"It's Kevin's question," Jason interrupted him.

"I plead the fifth," Kevin managed finally, bowing his shoulders, only to straighten up with a wince.

"Ok," Jason said, "Tori go."

"Antonio," Tori said and Antonio winced slightly, but met her eyes, "are you happy?"

Antonio sucked air through his teeth for a moment as he thought out the question. Unable to meet her eyes, he looked back at his hands. "No." He said finally, softly, "I'm not." He forced himself to look up, first at Tori, then at Jason, "But its better. It's a lot better."

"Mentor Ji," Jason said, in a quiet way.

"I guess my question is for Cam Watanabe," Ji said after a moment.

"Yes?" Cam asked.

"Your mother, she was a Samurai?" Ji asked.

"Miko was a Samurai," Cam agreed, "for reason I have yet to determine, she chose to attend the Wind Ninja Academy where she met my father. My grandfather, her father, still lives, but even he does not know the reasons behind her actions. While an accredited Ninja Master at the time of her death, my mother's heritage as a Samurai was one she never set aside. It is a heritage I have been honored to study and promote in her stead."

"Mike," Jason said.

"Cam," Mike said, Antonio glanced down the row to see the teasing smirk Mike had, "why doesn't Antonio want us to talk in private?"

Antonio closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "Because you're a Green," Cam replied, "and as such, I am obligated to play a prank on you and explain that Greens are, by nature, pranksters. It is a trait that is encouraged and fostered by our color. Also, I am obligated to inform you that Intergalactic Prank Week."

"No!" Antonio said unable to keep from breaking the silence rule, "Sensei, please."

"Is over for this year," Cam continued smoothly, "It's a somewhat annual event running an equivalent of seven days where in Greens, primarily, engage in a contest of wit and bravery with the stated goal of reducing any and all team members as well as any other Ranger in the local group, to tears through the medium of pranks."

"Ok," Mike said.

"The year Antonio revealed his promise and Zord to us; he was inadvertently initiated to the Ranger's prank war in an elaborate prank that left him naked in the Academy courtyard."

"I was not naked," Antonio cut in. He turned to Jayden and Jason, "I swear, by all that is good, I was not naked."

"I remember that," Shane said with a slight grin, "you weren't wearing a mesh shirt that time though." He paused, "You know, Tony, if you hate us calling you that so much, I'm sure that you wouldn't mind being called."

"Tony," Antonio interrupted. "Just call me Tony, I don't fucking care, ok?"

"Cam," Jason said both a warning and an order.

"Fine," Cam said, "Mia, I have a question for you."

"Yes sir?" Mia said, surprised.

"It's just Cam," Cam told her, "and I was wondering if you'd ever heard of Sheng Li's book, 'Proper Etiquette for a Proper Girl'? Antonio mentioned you set some store by traditional gender roles and one of my students recommended it around as a refreshing look on traditional gender roles and recommended some tips on fitting a traditional life style in the modern world."

"No," Mia said, "I haven't read that."

Antonio knew exactly what book Cam was referring to, had even read some of it to stave off a fit of boredom one afternoon. If nothing else, Mia might find some good cooking advice in it.

"Hunter," Jason said, "your turn."

Hunter nodded, "Well," he said, "since we can ask anybody in the meeting anything, my question is for Dustin."

"Ok," Dustin said.

Hunter shifted to look at Dustin, "Are you really going to take the job?"

"Hunter!" Dustin said, "You can't honestly, I mean, I said I wanted to think about it. I'm not saying I don't want to take the job, but no job is worth moving halfway around the world alone for."

"That wasn't my question," Hunter said, "or at least, not all of it."

"Sorry," Dustin said.

"Because I was thinking, in England, we could get married. If you wanted to," Hunter said.

Antonio had been watching Dustin and Hunter, but as Dustin threw his arms around Hunter with a strangled, "Yes," he looked over at Jayden. Jayden was looking across the table at him, an odd smile on his face.

"Congratulations," Jason said, "but we've still got two more questions and then I am going to dinner. So, Kevin, fire away."

Kevin nodded, "My question is for Tori," he said finally.

"Ok," Tori replied.

"You're a blue ranger and a water ninja," Kevin said, "when you were active, did you ever see your water abilities enhanced by your ranger ones?"

Tori's eyebrows rose for a moment, "It's not that easy, Kevin," she said. "But in its simplest form, yes, the Power we used stabilized and strengthened my abilities. I wasn't a bad student before I became a Ranger, I simply had two friends with poor time management skills and I didn't handle stress, such as mock combat and solo exhibitions well. I could do what they wanted, such as walk on water or manipulate it, until I ran into a stress situation. The Power gave me a base to build upon, and being a Ranger is good for teaching people to manage stress. It's part of the design of our morphers, to support and facilitate a steady connection with our element. Thank you, Kevin, for not asking me about being a Lady Blue."

Kevin nodded, "Thank you for answering my question."

"That leaves Tony," Jason said.

"My question is for Jason," Antonio said and looked into the man's eyes, "you didn't come up here to check up on me, did you?" He paused, "I invoke RM 4-13 sub B."

Jason sighed at the invocation, the one that obliged him to utter the whole truth as he knew it and was unconstrained by previous oaths. "No, I didn't," he admitted. "I came down to give you some news in person that you aren't going to like."

"Lay it on me," Antonio replied.

"Tony, Antonio, I'm sorry," Jason said. "Your father died on Tuesday following a single vehicle accident. It was determined that he was speeding and lost control of the vehicle. After rolling the vehicle, it collided with the lesser bluff and caught fire."

Antonio froze for a long moment; the words echoing through his head like someone had set off three dozen super bouncy balls in his skull. "Meeting dismissed," Shane announced.

It was the barest thought that got him to his feet and moving, it was less than a thought that launched him from the much too slow walk to a ninja streak. Sensei would forgive him, he was sure of that.

Antonio wasn't sure how far he'd gotten when he finally came to a stop. He was on a cliff, staring out at the water. Behind him, the sun was making its careful way past the landscape that sought to contain it, but Antonio only saw the dull green-grey-brown of an early morning ocean. A few combers made flashes of white in the existing pattern. He wondered if he would be allowed to drown.

His father was dead.

His abusive, alcoholic, perpetually unemployed father was dead.

Antonio wondered if anyone would understand the mixture of relief and happiness that survived as an underpinning of his sorry and guilt while mourning served as cables to hold the platform and the underpinning in one place.

Going home had never been so tempting and so out of reach.


	3. Then Came The Morphers

It had been a long night for Jayden. When Antonio had left, the outcry had been solely amongst the Samurai. "Antonio will be fine," Shane said even as Cam pulled out a cell phone and began dialing.

"Hailey, it's Cam," Cam said, catching everyone's attention, "yes, I know you have plans, I just need a favor. Jason just told Tony about his dad and he left. We'd like you to keep an eye on him for us, or have Doctor Oliver do it. Since he's been activated, there's a chance." Cam paused and nodded, "Right. Thanks Hailey. I'll send those schematics back to you in a few days. Take care." Hanging up, he added, "There. Hailey will track Tony's morpher and make sure nothing happens."

"There's a chance what?" Jayden asked. At Cam's look he stood carefully, trying not to sway as weakness hit him hard, "You said 'since he's been activated, there's a chance.' There's a chance what?"

"Rangers aren't universally loved," Hunter said, "and even if Antonio never went off planet, people knew about him. Someone finds out his morpher is working in a power structure that isn't on our side of things and that someone is collecting a bounty on a Ranger. Especially if they've got scanning equipment that calls color, Gold's rare and expensive even of the human variety."

"But that won't happen," Jason said, "because we haven't got new refugees in two months, none are expected for another two and the Mark II is in orbit. Anyone coming here to collect that bounty is going to have to go through them first." He paused, "And sit down before you fall down, kid."

Jayden was tempted to stay on his feet, but his knees started go and he sat down before he could fall. "Look," Blake said, "this has been a good evening, but I have papers to grade and Tori needs some rest while the kids are with Michelle, so we're going to leave."

"Us too," Dustin said with a somewhat goofy smile, he was half curled into Hunter and didn't look near ready to leave.

"Come on, Waldo," Hunter said and carefully helped Dustin to his feet. The two couples were instantly surrounded by people saying good bye, and then Hunter pointed at Jayden, "I'll see you at the Haven soon. Take care of yourself."

"I will," Jayden said, uncertainly.

"I should go to," Shane said, "I have sunrise meditations tomorrow. What about you, Cam?"

Cam looked at Shane over his glasses, "I'm staying. If Antonio was right, there may be a problem with their morphers."

"I'm staying until Antonio gets back," Jason added, "but I have a hotel room."

"You can stay here," Ji offered.

"No thank you," Jason replied. He stood, "I need to go call my wife."

Mike stood and winced as his ribs pulled, "I'm going to make me a sandwich."

"I could cook something," Mia offered.

"No thanks," Mike said, "I just want something simple."

"Mike," Cam said, "may I look at your morpher?"

"Why?" Mike asked.

"Tony, Antonio, has mentioned that your morphers don't seem to be as strong as most morphers. I wanted to look and see if there was something wrong with them."

Mike hesitated a moment, then pulled it out, "Ok, but I'm going to need that back if something happens."

"If your alarm goes off while I'm fixing this, I'll fill in for you," Cam replied, "my morpher works too."

Mike grinned, "Thanks, but I don't think it'll be necessary."

Cam nodded and pulled a small, plastic case from his pocket. Jayden watched him work on the morpher, knowing he should probably be resting, but curious to talk to a man who had made such an impact on Antonio. "I can feel your brain overheating from here," Cam said, suddenly looking up at him.

"What?" Jayden asked.

"Did you want to ask me something, or are you just staring?" Cam asked.

Jayden flushed, "I was just wondering about Antonio. I mean, you knew him for a while it sounded like."

Cam paused his work on the morpher and stared at him, and then he laughed, "You have nerve, Jayden. I met Antonio when he was 16. I went to Angel Grove to discuss some potential ninjas, and Tony was over." Cam's smile was fond, "Tony was sparing with the candidates Adam wanted me to meet, and he was good. Then Adam's wife Tanya came in with their youngest son, Julian, he was just a baby, wasn't even a year old, and Tony went from wiping the floor with older students to being unable to keep his feet under him walking across the floor. Julian was asleep, not even crying. Adam later told me that Tony calls the kid Jinx, and it's stuck."

Jayden thought of his friend, "I have to admit, I can see something like that happening to Emily, but Antonio?"

"Antonio might not, but Tony," Cam shook his head, "that's a whole other story."

"Jayden," Ji said, coming in the room with a tray, "you need to eat something."

"I'm fine," Jayden said.

"You are going to eat," Ji said, sliding the tray on the table. Jayden glanced down and grinned; because Ji always made tomato soup and grilled cheese when Jayden wasn't well. The distinctly American meal had been the only food he'd wanted as a child. "Because I know you will wish to wait until Antonio comes home, you will eat." Ji turned to Cam, "would you care for something to eat? Mr. Scott."

"Lee Scott," Cam said, "Jason's last name is Lee Scott."

"I mean, Mr. Lee Scott," Ji corrected himself, "is heading to a restaurant in town if you wish him to bring you something back."

"Where's he going?" Cam asked after a moment.

"Mike recommended a place," Ji said.

"He didn't send him to that vegan place, did he?" Jayden asked as he picked up his spoon.

"No," Mike said, "seriously, one time I do that." He dropped down on the stool next to Cam. "I sent him to the sub shop. They do a good salad there."

It never ceased to amaze Jayden that for all Mike talked as if he ate anything and everything, if left to his own devices; the Samurai preferred the same healthy lifestyle the rest of them preferred. "There's a vegan place?" Cam asked.

"Yes," Mike said, "and they have really good food there. My mom and I go there, or we used to." He stopped and looked up, startled.

"You eat vegan?" Jayden asked as he bit into his sandwich.

"My mom is a vegan," Mike replied, "my dad's vegetarian." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't really like meat much."

"I've seen you eat meat," Jayden pointed out.

"Because it was the social thing to do," Mike muttered, not looking at Jayden.

"You eat meat to be polite?" Cam said, he frowned down at the morpher, "Is that supposed to make sense?"

"You know," Jayden said, "you don't have to eat meat to fit in here. I'm not going to make fun of you for it." He paused, "It doesn't bother you that we eat meat, does it?"

"No," Mike said, "you guys don't have to change anything."

Cam swore, sharply and jerked back from the morpher, "What?" Jayden asked, reaching for his morpher.

"Nothing," Cam said. He fiddled with the morpher for a moment and then pulled something out and set it on the table. "Fixed it."

"I think you broke it," Mike observed, he reached for the thing on the table, but Cam grabbed his wrist.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to look with your eyes, not with your hands? I swear, give people morphers and they act like their twelve." Cam muttered. He looked up, "I don't suppose you guys have a container I can put that in, do you?"

"Sure," Mike said as he twisted his wrist free, "I'll go get one."

As soon as Mike was gone, Jayden stopped eating, "What is that?"

Cam glanced at him over the top of his glasses, "That," he said, "is a very disturbing discovery. We're going to have to have words with your mentor."

"Why, Ji didn't build those," Jayden said. "They were given to us, by Zordon."

Cam stared at him, "Explain."

"The story as I was told goes like this," Jayden replied, "when we first started fighting the Nighloks, in Japan, the Samurai symbol power wasn't enough. A man of Shiba House heard stories of a great power and set out to find it. He went through many trials and tribulations, including crossing the Pacific Ocean, but eventually, he made his way through a great desert to mountain fastness. In the mountain were a strange metal man and a god who, upon hearing of Takehiko's journey and plight, gave to him five magical weapons that would help him defeat Master Xandred. Takehiko returned to Japan, determined to see his people free of the Nighloks. He gave a weapon to his four closest companions and servants, who had walked with him on his great journey. To this day, the children of Shiba House and the children of those servants, fight to seal Master Xandred away and prevent the Sanzu River from flooding." He paused for a moment as Mike came back.

Cam waved at him, "Keep going."

"When the morphers were damaged twenty years ago, Ben, one of the surviving Rangers, took the morphers to Zordon to be fixed. Zordon sent Ben to Eltare, to someone who could fix them. Ben was killed on Eltare, but the morphers were returned to us through Zordon." Jayden shrugged, "I was a little kid back then, I don't know any more than that."

"Jason will take care of it," Cam said as he shut the cover on Mike's morpher. "Do me a favor, Mike."

"Yes sir?" Mike asked.

"I'm not your teacher. I just want you to morpher with this." Cam handed it over, "See if you can feel the difference."

"Ok," Mike said and stood up. He lifted the Samuraizer and called, "Samuraizer, go, go Samurai."

Jayden closed his eyes against the light and when he opened them, he found himself facing the Green Samurai Ranger, who was staring at his clothes almost in awe. "Mike, are you ok?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah," Mike replied as he turned his hands over and back before flexing them. "Jayden, if this is what a Ranger feels like." He looked up and then took a defensive stance, followed by a high kick. "I can't believe this, my ribs don't hurt."

"Of course they don't," Cam replied, "now that you're properly accessing your Power, it will continue to heal you at a faster than average rate. Jayden, may I see your morpher."

"Ok," Jayden said and slid his Samuraizer over to Cam.

"What's going on?" Mia asked as she came from the back of the house. "Mike, why are you morphed?"

Mike shook his head, "Power down." The grin on his face was blinding, "Mia, you'll understand, let Cam see your morpher when he's done with Jayden's."

Emily, carrying a shurikan popped in, "What's going on?"

"Cam is doing something to the morphers," Jayden said. "Why are you carrying a shurikan?"

"I was practicing," Emily replied. "I didn't get much of a chance to before I came here."

"Where are you from?" Cam asked as he pulled something from Jayden's morpher.

"Canada," Emily said, "my family has a farm up there."

"Canadians really don't like shurikan," Cam said, "Mia, would you like me to work on your morpher next, or Emily's?"

"They're illegal," Emily agreed.

"What's illegal?" Jason asked as he stepped back into the house.

"Shurikan," Emily replied.

"I thought no one was allowed to know that story," Jason said, looking at Cam.

"They aren't," Cam replied, accepting Mia's morpher. "Emily was training with one. I'm sure someone, at some point, will clear the air on that."

"It's my Ranger weapon," Emily said.

"Oh," Jason said, "so you haven't had a chance to mention that you're essentially banned from Canada?"

If looks could kill, Cam would have had Jason skinned alive, Jayden mused as he toyed with his newly repaired morpher. "I'm going to go get Kevin," Mike announced, practically running out of the room.

Jayden reflected that the younger green Ranger had been energetic before, and was now on the edge of hyper, possibly. "How are the morphers coming?" Jason asked Cam as he sat his food down on the table.

"Look," Cam said and held up something from Mia's morpher. "You're going to have to talk to Ji, but I don't think it was his fault."

"Why is that?" Jason asked in a dangerously calm voice.

"Because Jayden told me that these morpher came from Zordon and were fixed on Eltare. Twenty years ago." Cam replied.

"I'll speak with him in the morning," Jason said quietly.

"What is going on?" Kevin demanded as Mike literally hauled him into the room. "Mike, let me go."

"Cam has to fix your morpher," Mike replied, he let go of Kevin's arm and took a stance between him and the door. "It's incredible, you won't believe the difference."

"Emily's next," Cam said, accepting Emily's morpher. "I'd like you all to morph once before you go to bed, together and again when Antonio gets here. You'll need to do that without a monster, excuse me, Nighlok, around to understand the differences."

"This is so cool," Mike declared.

"Look, Bubbles, you seriously need to calm down," Cam snapped. "God, it's like Dustin on coffee."

Jason laughed and Kevin slung his arm around Mike, "Come on, big guy, I'll leave Cam my Samuraizer and we can spar a bit. Just to pass the time."

"That might not be such a good idea if he's already morphed," Jason said.

"He has," Cam replied. "Hence the," he waved his tweezers, "Stitch imitation." He paused, "I'll take the morpher anyways. Just leave it over here."

In moments, Cam had finished Emily and Kevin's morphers and sat back, "All right everyone, give them a whirl."

Jayden, swaying slightly, looked at his teammates; Kevin seemed impassive, Mia curious but detached, Emily was eager and Mike was nearly vibrating in excitement. "Samuraizer," Jayden called and they lifted their morphers, "Go, go Samurai."

Jayden's eyes fell closed under the onslaught of power. It swirled into him like fire chasing an accelerant. He felt warmed from within, but not burnt. He felt as if all he had to do was twitch his fingers and power would be his. At the same time, he could feel something more, muted, colorful presences in the back of his mind. Mike, energetic, youthful and eager. Emily, kind, gentle and warm hearted. Mia, passionate and carrying with the same detachment he'd seen on her face. Kevin, wondrous and curious, his mind utterly logical at the change. There wasn't even a thought as they drew their swords, "Rangers together, Samurai forever," they declared.

"See," Mike said, "isn't it incredible."

"I can't believe it," Kevin replied. "How do you do this?"

Cam sealed the lid on the container he carried. "Someone fitted a diffuser on your morphers, to weaken them. Given the time frame I was given, it was before Earth became untouchable to the minion. He was trying to make Earth vulnerable, without knowing just how invincible we are."

"This minion," Emily said, "he killed Ben?"

"I don't know," Cam replied, "it's possible."

Their morphs shattered and Emily, chin trembling and tears in her eyes, nodded. "Thank you for that honesty."

"Are you ok?" Mike asked.

"I will be," Emily asserted before heading away, "I'm going to bed."

"Did we miss something?" Jason asked after a moment.

"Ben is Emily's brother," Mike replied. "She was born after he died. Ben held the yellow morpher before Emily did."


	4. It Ends With A Ranger Team

Antonio let himself into the gates of Shiba House as the sun cleared the horizon. He'd actually ended up near the House at the end of his long distance streak. It wouldn't surprise him if he hadn't crossed state lines, if not country boarders in his run. Kevin was standing just outside the door, clearly getting ready for his morning run. "Morning," Antonio said, a lifetime of smiling and lying enabling him to walk up to the house calmly. "Maybe, not today, but maybe in the future, you wouldn't mind a running buddy?"

Kevin eyed him for a long moment, "Where have you been?" He finally demanded.

"Out," Antonio replied, "fishing."

The door opened and Jason stood there, "Oh good, Tony," he said. "I was hoping you'd be back before I left."

"How long can you stay," Antonio asked, relieved that someone was going to let him play the 'I'm fine' card for a little longer.

"I have court tomorrow," Jason replied, "so I need to leave sometime today."

"I wish you could stay longer," Antonio said, "but I think Doc would get mad at me."

"Keep calling her 'doc' and she probably will," Jason replied. "Let's get inside. Everyone else is already up."

"Did any of them sleep?" Antonio asked quietly as he slipped past Jason.

"What do you think?" Jason replied as he followed, leaving Kevin to bring up the rear.

As they rounded the wall into the living room, Mike burst into the room from the other side, "Antonio!" He said.

Antonio grinned, "Mike."

"Cam fixed the morphers," Jason added, "you were right. They had diffusers in them."

Antonio shook his head slightly before Emily crashed into him, "Antonio!" She cried.

"Where did you come from?" Antonio asked.

"I was behind Mike," Emily replied, "your friends are so cool. I'm not mad but I wish you'd told us earlier. Do you think we could meet some more of them?"

Antonio laughed; he couldn't help it, "I'm sure they'd love a chance to meet us." He said as Emily wiggled away from him and latched onto Mike's arm. "Now," he said, "where's Jayden?"

"He's sparing with Mia," Cam said as he walked past him. "Have a good run?"

"Very head clearing," Antonio replied vaguely. It was a reference that his older friends would get, and from Cam's nod, he knew the message had been heard. "Is he ok?"

"Fixing his morpher healed him," Cam said, "Although I wouldn't count on that always being the case."

"I know," Antonio said, "I remember." It wasn't like he'd forget, too much damage, too much Power; it would hurt and need time to heal.

"You guys need to team morph," Jason said, "to understand what's different."

"I'll go get Jayden," Antonio said. He ignored the smirks between his friends and all but ran for the back of the house. He'd been stupid to leave Jayden when he was so weak, and now he wanted to see his friend again; to know with his own eyes that the other Ranger was ok. He skidded through the open back door, his shoes sliding on the polished wood with a squeak. "Jayden," he said, "Mia."

"Antonio," Jayden said, turning away from Mia, "you're back!"

Antonio jumped off the porch and looked up, "Are you ok?" He asked, and laughed as he realized that Jayden had asked him the same question. "I'm ok," he managed, "I've been better and I've been worse. I'm alive, I'm not hurt, and…"  _you're with me._  "I've gotten to see almost all my friends."

"I'm better," Jayden said, "I can't believe the difference in the Power." He slung his arm over Antonio's shoulders, "I was worried about you. Where did you go?"

"Nowhere," Antonio said, "I just ran until I stopped, then I came back." He leaned into Jayden's side a little, unwilling to say anything. Jayden, too, seemed content to just stand still for a moment. Finally, Antonio moved, "We need to get inside. Jason wants us to team morph so we can adjust to the new power levels."

"Right," Jayden said.

Antonio glanced around, "Where did Mia go?"

"She went inside," Jayden said, "I think."

"Huh," Antonio replied. He was strangely reluctant to move away from Jayden, but made himself step away. "Let's go then."

"Ok," Jayden said, dropping his arm.

They headed inside, where Antonio was aware of Cam and Jason's exchanged glances and suppressed smiles. He'd bet his last dollar the pair of them had the word 'cute' in their brain somewhere with his picture. "So, we're morphing," Kevin said.

"Yes," Antonio said. "Let's do this."

They lined up and lifted their morphers, "Samuraizers," Jayden lead the call, "Go, go Samurai."

"Samurai Morpher," Antonio added, "Gold power!"

Back when Antonio had been Tony, the Samurai student and future Gold Ranger, he'd met Zhane, the Silver Astro Ranger. Antonio wasn't sure how Zhane had tracked him down, but he'd been camping on his own when the other Ranger had teleported into his camp. "You're Antonio," the Silver Ranger said, before taking his helmet off. "I'm Zhane. I was looking for you."

"Yeah," Tony replied, not really looking up from the wood he was breaking. "Didn't people tell you that I wasn't supposed to be bothered? That this is my three days of solitude to get away from Rangers?"

"Adam might have said something," Zhane admitted after a brief pause. "But I need to talk to you and I don't have a lot of time."

"I'm not stopping you," Tony replied.

"You're a Gold Ranger," Zhane said, "and being Gold isn't as easy as Jason likes to put it. I think it's because he wasn't as connected to Zeo as he was to his own team." He paused, as if waiting for Tony's response, but Tony only went from breaking wood to stacking it near the fire. "When you morph with your team, and I mean, when you're all committed and determined to be a team, when everyone's loyalty and goals are the same; it's hard to explain. Red Rangers feel it, when they're morphed. They'll have an awareness of their team in battle. Other Rangers can feel it. It depends on how close they are to their team, and how strong the bonds are between them. Silvers and Golds, however. I knew my team from the moment I got my morpher. I expected Andros, but I also felt TJ, Cassie, Ashley and Carlos. They weren't even Rangers, had never even considered having the Power, and I knew them. When I was in my coma, I saw them live their lives. I don't remember all of it, but I know I saw it."

Tony pulled the tarp from his ATV and began to spread it out. "What does that have to do with me?"

"You'll feel the same," Zhane said, "You probably already do. I've been told you strongly remember your friend Jayden and that you were very close. A Gold Ranger chooses his team in a way no other Ranger does. You're always going to know what's going on with Jayden, and the other Rangers, whoever they are."

"Kevin, Mia, Mike and Serena," Tony muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Zhane asked.

"The other Samurai," Tony said as he unpacked the tent, "I already know their names. Kevin stands to inherit the Blue morpher, like his mother. Mia will have pink. Mike will have green and Serena will hold yellow. Their families have served Jayden's family for centuries, and when the time comes, they'll hold the power. I've never seen their faces, I don't know anything about them, but I know their names. I saw them on a letter once."

"Ok," Zhane said.

Tony shrugged, "They're going to be my team, Zhane. I promised Jayden I'd come back and fight with him. To fight with Jayden, I have to fight with them as well." He looked over at Zhane, "You did it. You didn't have a clue who Cassie, Ashley, Carlos and TJ were when you woke up. Now you'd never have any other team in the world."

Zhane shook his head slightly. "You're a good man, Antonio."

"Tony," Tony corrected him. "I prefer Tony."

"Tony then," Zhane replied, "when you morph, though, you'll know. You'll feel if it's right."

Antonio hadn't really understood what Zhane had said, and when the others had morphed with lesser powers, he hadn't felt it. Now, now with working morphers, now he could  _feel_  it; just as Zhane had promised him in that mountain clearing long ago.

Emily. The team member he hadn't expected, the one after Jayden that he called his favorite. She was like a tiny sun, glowing with the joy of her spirit freely and unquestionable. He welcomed her, knew her for team and wondered how he'd ever thought someone else could be his yellow ranger.

Mike. Energy surged through him, the energy of the forest in a way that was unique. The age of the forest vibrated with his physical youth and blended into a glorious green whole. Again, he welcomed his friend, knew him for team, and wondered why everyone despaired of him being a Samurai. Mike was the only choice for green ranger. None could have been better.

Mia. Traditional and calm, Mia was there. Hesitant in some ways, but willing to do what was needed. Pink at heart, she reached out to the team even as her own sense of duty called on her to do. She was welcomed into the team, a fitting pink for their team.

Kevin. He had always been the one to hold back, to question what was not traditional. It should be no surprise that he questioned this. He resisted that which would make him a better Ranger. Still, he was known and he was welcomed; he was the blue ranger they needed.

Jayden. He was seeking the closeness of the team even as something held him back. Some memory, some knowledge that he hid from them that drew him from fitting into his place. It wasn't right and it would last long. Red was embraced, and drawn in. Nothing would cut him out of the team now. Nothing and no one. Even Jayden himself could not deny them the Red Ranger.

Antonio opened his eyes, letting his awareness of the real world fade into place just as Cam's phone rang. Cam's voice carried him back out of himself and Antonio dismissed the morph as soon as he could. "That was dangerous," he muttered.

"What?" Kevin asked, looking at him sharply.

"What?" Antonio replied, because he hadn't meant to say that out loud and annoying Kevin might get the blue off his back.

"You said something," Kevin replied, more curious than accusing, but not trusting him yet.

"I did?" Antonio asked, "I must have been thinking out loud."

"I have to go," Cam said, standing up. "My boss needs me back in D.C. yesterday."

"I thought you were between projects," Antonio replied.

Cam smirked, "I was. Then they broke my prototype. I told them it wasn't fool approved yet."

"In other words," Antonio translated, "nobody touches it?"

"Exactly," Cam said. "Take care of yourself, Tony. I'll see you next time."

"I'll email you more," Antonio replied, "I promise."

"You do that," Cam replied and hugged his protégé.

Jason nodded, "I should probably go to; Trini's home alone with all three of the children."

"How is everyone doing?" Antonio asked.

"Growing more obnoxious every day," Jason replied. "Jinx misses you. He keeps asking where you are."

"Tell him that I'll come see him soon," Antonio said. "I'll come see all of them soon."

"From various positions on the floor," they finished with shared grins. It didn't matter if other people didn't get the joke; Jason got it better than most.

He felt his team demorph as he turned to watch Cam and Jason leave. He the door clicked close, he felt just how long it would be before he saw his friends again.

"Why did you say morphing was dangerous?" Kevin asked.

Anthony sighed, "Because it's different for Golds. Sometimes we get lost." His stomach growled, "And sometimes we get hungry. I have something I need to do this morning. I'll eat while I'm out." He stepped back, and then again as the team stared at him in shock. Then he turned and walked away.

"Need some company?" Jayden asked.

Antonio turned, unable to stop the grin from his face. "Depends," he said, "I'm looking for a storage space, or maybe an apartment. Care to go house hunting?"

"I could use a day off," Jayden replied. He turned to the others, "Call us if you need us."

It was the best Antonio had felt in a long time. He felt even better when the door shut behind them before anyone else could protest. "I need to get a car," he muttered, thinking of the long drive ahead.

"We have the SUVs," Jayden pointed out, hooking an arm around Antonio's elbow and drawing him down the drive.

"Can you drive?" Antonio asked.

"No, I've never had a chance to do learn," Jayden admitted after a moment. "Ji has drivers for us anyways."

Antonio grinned, "I know how to drive, Jay. It'll be nice to just hang with a friend you know."

For a brief moment, an odd look passed over Jayden's face then he smiled. "You're in charge of this adventure. I guess it's only fair that you drive."


End file.
